Improvement in harvester-rakes



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

C. LIDREN, OF LAFAYETTE, IND., ASSIGNOR T() HIMSELF AND R. JACKSON.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTER-RAKES.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, C. LIDREN, of Lafayette, in the county of Tippecanoeand State of Indiana, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement inAutomatic Bakers for Harvest.-

the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specilication. i, Y

T his invention relates'to new'and: useful improvementsin the method ofoperating automatic rakers t'or reaping' or harvesting machines, wherebythe mechanism for operating such rakes is verymuch simplified; and itconsists in operating the rake by means of motion imparted from the axleto an oscillating arm, connectingrods,and slotted cams,`in the `mannerhereinafter more fully described. y

1n the accompanying plate of drawings, Figure l represents a top or planview of a selfraking apparatus constructed according to my invention,showing the rake down upon the platform. Fig. 2 is a front view of thesame, showing the rake elevated. Figure 3 repre sents a vertical sectionthrough the line a: ar of Fig. l, showing'- the latch for holding thebail in position. Y

Similar letters ofreference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the platform which receives the grain from the cutters.

B represents the frame-work, which is (with the platform and otherapparatus attached) supported on the driving-wheels U U and the bearingwheel D on the opposite side of the machine.

E represents the axle or shaft from which motion is imparted to themechanism which operates the rake.

Fis the rake, provided with asuitable number of teeth, g, which are madeto sweep across the platform iii a horizontal position, as seen in Fig.1,.and deposit the eut grain which falls upon the platform in gavelsupon the ground through the open space H. The rake is connected with acarriage by the arm J. The carriage is made in two parts, 1 and I',which are hinged together and move back and forth on the ways K K,carryingthe rake, as before mentioned. The hinged portion I of thecarriage is connected with a bail, L, by the arm m.

This arm slides on the bail as the carriage moves back and forth. Thebail is'given a compound motion-that is, a longitudinal and anoscillating motion simultaneously. It slides and partially rotates onits ends n n', which pass through oriIices--Vone end, it, through thehinge o, and the other end, n',- through a plate, p. The former orlongitudinal motion is imparted bythe carriage, which in its movementstrikes the angles q Q of the bail.` The latter or oscillating motion isproduced by the two slotted cams R R.' These cams are so formed thatwhen the longitudinal motion is given to the bail the bail is at thesame time turned nearly one-fourth of 'a revolution, thereby turn ingbackward and forward the hinged portion of the. carriage I', andconsequently through the arm m depressingv the rake or throwing it intoa horizontal position for the commencement of the stroke or sweep, andraising it to an. angle of about forty-vedegrees at the termination ot'the stroke. The slots of the cams are made to inclose the angularportions s s of the hail, as seen in the drawings. mination of thestroke the bail is held in position by the latch t, (seen in Fig. 3,)while the rake Vpassies out from the machine and is carried back iu anelevated position.

It will be noticed that the bail slides some distance in each ot' thecams for the purpose of giving room and time for the rake to operate incase the'outer end of the platform is l elevated or depressed from alevel position in passing over uneven ground.

The hinged portion I of the carriage acts as a counterbalance to therakeLthereby greatly lessening the power required'for raising anddepressing it, and otherwise lessenin g the friotion and consequentlythe wear and tear ofthe machine, t

As before mentioned, the axle E by its revolution imparts motion to therake, which motion is conveyed from the pair of bevel-wheels u u by thecrank-shaft o o', oscillating arm fw, and connecting-rods x x', whichlatter rod is attached to the carriage, as seen at y.

z is a box-bracket, which supports the crank shaft u, in which the shaftrevolvesand to which shaft the wheel tt is attached. The wheel to isattached to a sleeve-coupling, a', through which the axle revolves whenthe machine is uncoupled.

b is a clutch, which slides on the axle ona At the ter! feather, and ofcourse revolves with the axlel 2. The latch t, for holding the bail inposi- Vat all times; but it is thrown out of and into gear with thesleevecoupling a by the shifting-lever c. In operating the machine thisshifting-lever is under the control ofthe driver, so that the movementofthe rake maybe regulated as desired for making the gavels of graingreater or less in size, as the case may be.l

I claim as new and desire to secure by Lctters Patent- 1. The slottedcams R R', the bail L, and the hinged carriage I I, arranged andoperating substantially as and for the purposes herein shown anddescribed.

tion, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

3. In combination with the automatic rakei` F, the gear-Wheels u u andcoupling a b', with the shafts, cranks, arms, and rods by which motionis conveyed to the carriage, ar-

GHR.' LIDREN.

Witnesses :l

D. W. MCCUNE, WM. POINTER.

